Why I chose Lap-Band Surgery
Hello and welcome to my Banderland Journey!
I am a 44-year old female living in Orange County, California. I have one son, who is 18. I live with my son, my fiance, Russ, and our three rescued dogs: a Westipoo, a Shitzu and a Chiweenie. We all have a lot of fun in the outdoors: hiking and camping all over Southern California.
I did not grow up overweight, so it surprised me as I graduated college in 1994 that I was gaining more and more weight. Since then, I've tried many exercise programs (I even completed two marathons) and most of the diet programs out there: Alli, Weight Watchers, Sugar Busters. Guess what? They ALL work. But, they ALL work only while you are on them. Over my 20 year rollercoaster of weight-loss, I went from 180lbs to 140lbs, then to 225lbs, then to 175lbs, then to my top of 245lbs and everywhere in between. You see, the diet programs ALL worked for me as long as I allowed my mind to be consumed with making sure I bought and took the pills, or tracked my food, or counted my points or bought special food. The problem for me, is that I don't have the mental bandwidth to stay on these diets long term. I had to admit to myself, that I need additional support, an additional tool - and that is this little Lap-Band.
Others that have had Lap-Band agree that getting it is "freeing". While I still have to make good food choices, it helps me eat less. I do the work, and it keeps me on track - without me having to do any extra calculations or special purchases or enter information into an app. There are a lot of scary parts to getting there though. I mean, it is surgery. And, since my insurance (CIGNA uggg!) does not cover it, it is expensive ($15k). Luckily, I found a surgeon I really trust, I loved the staff, and many people will say the surgery is not as bad as my mind thinks it would be. And they were right!
If you are reading this, and you are still not sure if surgery is right for you, then it might not be time yet. It took me a few years to get to this point. Perhaps, like me, you will start to do more and more research. BariatricPal.com is a great resource for those of you interested in seeing what people are saying at all stages of surgery. And, when you know that it is your time to get off the weight-loss rollercoaster, you will be on your way to "banderland".
But, whether you are one of my personal friends, already on your WLS journey, or just band-curious, I am happy you are here and I hope you enjoy my blog!
Here are some highlights:
My Surgery Day
5 Days Post-Surgery (with incision photos)
17 Days Post-Surgery - First Fill
28 Days Post-Surgery - 4-Week Update
35 Days Post-Surgery - 5 Week Update 15lbs Gone - (with progress photos)
36 Days Post- Surgery - My First Taco
54 Days Post-Surgery - Onederland!
70 Days Post-Surgery - 10 Week Update (with progress photos)
100 Days Post-Surgery - With Progress Photos
- Kristi (aka kayzoog on BariatricPal.com)
I am a 44-year old female living in Orange County, California. I have one son, who is 18. I live with my son, my fiance, Russ, and our three rescued dogs: a Westipoo, a Shitzu and a Chiweenie. We all have a lot of fun in the outdoors: hiking and camping all over Southern California.
I did not grow up overweight, so it surprised me as I graduated college in 1994 that I was gaining more and more weight. Since then, I've tried many exercise programs (I even completed two marathons) and most of the diet programs out there: Alli, Weight Watchers, Sugar Busters. Guess what? They ALL work. But, they ALL work only while you are on them. Over my 20 year rollercoaster of weight-loss, I went from 180lbs to 140lbs, then to 225lbs, then to 175lbs, then to my top of 245lbs and everywhere in between. You see, the diet programs ALL worked for me as long as I allowed my mind to be consumed with making sure I bought and took the pills, or tracked my food, or counted my points or bought special food. The problem for me, is that I don't have the mental bandwidth to stay on these diets long term. I had to admit to myself, that I need additional support, an additional tool - and that is this little Lap-Band.
Others that have had Lap-Band agree that getting it is "freeing". While I still have to make good food choices, it helps me eat less. I do the work, and it keeps me on track - without me having to do any extra calculations or special purchases or enter information into an app. There are a lot of scary parts to getting there though. I mean, it is surgery. And, since my insurance (CIGNA uggg!) does not cover it, it is expensive ($15k). Luckily, I found a surgeon I really trust, I loved the staff, and many people will say the surgery is not as bad as my mind thinks it would be. And they were right!
If you are reading this, and you are still not sure if surgery is right for you, then it might not be time yet. It took me a few years to get to this point. Perhaps, like me, you will start to do more and more research. BariatricPal.com is a great resource for those of you interested in seeing what people are saying at all stages of surgery. And, when you know that it is your time to get off the weight-loss rollercoaster, you will be on your way to "banderland".
But, whether you are one of my personal friends, already on your WLS journey, or just band-curious, I am happy you are here and I hope you enjoy my blog!
Here are some highlights:
My Surgery Day
5 Days Post-Surgery (with incision photos)
17 Days Post-Surgery - First Fill
28 Days Post-Surgery - 4-Week Update
35 Days Post-Surgery - 5 Week Update 15lbs Gone - (with progress photos)
36 Days Post- Surgery - My First Taco
54 Days Post-Surgery - Onederland!
70 Days Post-Surgery - 10 Week Update (with progress photos)
100 Days Post-Surgery - With Progress Photos
- Kristi (aka kayzoog on BariatricPal.com)